


By No Means Least

by elem (elem44)



Category: Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-11
Updated: 2017-05-11
Packaged: 2018-10-30 19:33:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,897
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10883478
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elem44/pseuds/elem
Summary: Post Endgame. Written for the 2008 VAMB Spring Fling Exchange. Details of the request at the end of the story.





	By No Means Least

The welcoming light from the restaurant window spilled onto the footpath, but the chequered curtain obscured much of his view. He could hear music and the happy rumble of laughter and chatter from inside, and amongst the hubbub he could even make out some of the more distinctive voices. Spirits, Paris had a mouth on him and Golwat’s screeching laugh could shatter duranium. Chakotay pushed the door open and the noise trebled in volume accompanied by a warm rush of air. It smelled of garlic, chianti and candle wax.

It was late afternoon and the monthly Voyager get together was well under way. There were a good many of the former crew and their families sitting in scattered groups at the tables or milling around, talking, laughing, and generally having a good time.

Antonio’s Trattoria had become the Voyager returnees’ ‘hangout’, as Tom liked to call it, and Chakotay waved a greeting at the proprietor. “Ciao, Tony.”

“Ah, buonosera, Capitano. It’s good to see you. La bella Katarina, she was looking for you.” Tony punctuated his broadly accented words with expansive hand gestures, encompassing most of the crowded room.

Moving into the restaurant proper, Chakotay pointed towards the back of the room and Tony nodded as he flicked a white tea towel over his shoulder and picked up another tray of drinks.

Voyager had docked a couple of hours earlier after its latest ‘ferry’ mission to Bajor and, although Chakotay had sent word he’d be late, Starfleet’s endless, and no doubt pointless, official procedures had held him up longer than he’d anticipated. He’d dismissed as many of his crew as possible almost as soon as the docking clamps had attached, but as Captain, he’d been compelled to stay behind to finalise his reports. Now he was running very late and consequently he was in rather a bad mood. Taking a moment to get his bearings, he searched the crowd for her familiar face, but he couldn’t see her anywhere. Tom Paris was holding court over by the buffet, so he moved through the crowd, nodding hellos and greetings as he wended his way towards Voyager’s former pilot.

“Paris!” Chakotay’s harsh bark pulled Tom away from his conversation with Chell and Dalby.

“Chakotay, you’re here.” Tom slapped him on the back.

Chakotay gave Paris an exasperated look. “Your powers of observation remain keenly honed, I see.”

Tom grimaced and took a step back. “Ouch! Tough trip, huh?”

Chakotay rolled his eyes. “You don’t want to know. Have you seen her?”

“No, I haven’t, not for a while anyway. She was chatting with B’Elanna about half an hour ago.” Tom looked over the crowd but their erstwhile former captain was nowhere to be seen.

Chakotay nodded and gave Tom’s shoulder a squeeze by way of apology. “Okay, thanks.”

“No problem. Maybe you should have some punch.”

“Your recipe?”

Tom grinned. “Oh yeah, and it’s even better than last month, if you can believe that?”

“Yes, difficult to imagine.” Giving Tom a rueful look, Chakotay declined. “Thanks for the offer, but I think I’ll give it a miss. Poor Ayala hasn’t been quite the same since.”

Tom laughed. “I did warn him, but he was showing off, so it’s not my fault, _and_ we were all there when he dared Mitchell to do it. He knows the rule – _never_ dare Mitchell to do anything. It’s written somewhere, I’m sure…”

“…On the door of the deck twelve latrines, if memory serves.” Chakotay shook his head and gave a half smile. “Well, at least his hair’s growing back.”

“Yeah, it’s an improvement but the eyebrows still look a bit moth eaten. You can’t hold a good man down, though.” Tom pointed to the other side of the room where Mike Ayala, sporting what looked like a very bad reverse Mohawk, was talking animatedly to Jenny Delaney and Mariah Henley.

Chakotay couldn’t help chuckling, his mood starting to lift. It was good to be back amongst them. Scouring the crowd again, he still couldn’t see her. “So you don’t know where she is, Tom?”

“No, sorry. Try Harry, he might know.”

“Thanks.”

“It’s good to see you, Chakotay.”

“You too, Tom. I’ll catch up with you later.”

Chakotay made his way towards the other side of the room. She couldn’t have gone too far, surely. Although he _was_ talking about Kathryn Janeway, she could be half way back to the Delta Quadrant by now if she put her mind to it.

Harry was over by the drinks table. Chakotay made a beeline for him. “Harry, have you seen the Captain anywhere?”

Tilting precariously in Chakotay’s direction, Harry slurred, “Captain, your Captain” and then giggled. “I saw her… outside… a while ago, but…” Harry shrugged and hiccoughed.

Chakotay grimaced as Harry swayed towards him, and placed a hand on the young man’s shoulder to stop him pitching forward into an unattractive face-plant. Paris and his ‘evil punch from hell’ had been doing its worst again. When would Harry ever learn?

“I think you’d better sit down before you fall down, Lieutenant.”

Harry gave him a gormless grin, each eye taking a meandering look around the room independently of the other. The young man was going to be in a sorry state tomorrow. Chakotay glanced around as a gentle voice came from behind him.

“I’ll take care of him, Captain.”

“Thanks, Celes.” Chakotay smiled and watched as Tal Celes dragged Harry off into the corner. He was laughing uproariously at one of his own jokes as he draped his arm around young Bajoran woman’s shoulder. She smiled up at him, seemingly oblivious to his pitiful behaviour. At least he was a happy drunk and Celes certainly didn’t seem to mind. With an amused shake of his head, Chakotay moved on.

After another quick scan of the room, and still no sign of Kathryn, he headed for the large glass doors that led outside. They opened automatically on his approach and he stepped out onto a narrow patio that overlooked a wide expanse of lawns and immaculately groomed parterre gardens. He shaded his eyes from the setting sun to scan the grounds, but she was still nowhere to be seen. Damn. He only hoped that she hadn’t left already.

Try as he might, he couldn’t have gotten here any earlier. Voyager had been on another diplomatic run to Bajor, and they’d been held up thanks to a glitch transferring the diplomatic staff and their belongings. A case of illegal Romulan Ale had been the particular ‘ _glitch’_ in question. It had taken all his diplomatic skills and a substantial amount of graft to appease the officials on Bajor, but it meant that they’d arrived back at space dock over a day later than scheduled.

Kathryn had made him promise to be here and he hated being late.

He and Kathryn had been steadily working their way back to an understanding after her resignation from Starfleet and his disastrous liaison with Seven. The weeks following their return from the Delta Quadrant had been less than ideal, however, that was nearly six months ago now and life had finally settled into a comfortable routine. His promotion had come within weeks of their return and, much to his surprise, he’d been given the captaincy of Voyager. Kathryn had been delighted, telling him that he was the only person she could ever imagine sitting in her command chair and had wholeheartedly supported his step up to captain.

After a quick refit, Voyager had been reassigned as a diplomatic vessel, and his life now consisted of short runs around the Alpha Quadrant, ferrying lofty, and not so lofty, diplomats from one junket to another. Each mission only lasted a matter of a week or two and then it was home again to San Francisco, Kathryn and their slowly evolving relationship. It was a simple life, not nearly as exciting as their time in the Delta Quadrant, but not as imminently fatal either. ‘Mundane’ he could live with, and besides, he had Kathryn to return to at the end of each mission and that more than made up for the tedium of the milk runs.

About half of the original crew had signed on with him for Voyager’s new mission and he’d been fortunate with the rest of his new recruits. His First Officer was an Arkenite called Tirof, and although at first he’d been a touch standoffish, slowly he’d relaxed until they’d become a pretty good team. It wasn’t a patch on the Janeway/Chakotay team, but for the short jaunts he was doing these days, it worked well enough.

As far as he and Kathryn were concerned, they weren’t exactly dating, but they weren’t exactly ‘not dating’ either. To be honest, he wasn’t quite sure what they were doing. They were best friends, of that he was certain. They’d fallen back into the easy camaraderie of those early years on Voyager, and as they’d both found their feet here in the Alpha Quadrant, he felt their relationship was slowly deepening. However, neither of them seemed willing to take that next step and commit to anything. Slow and steady seemed to be the rule of thumb and he was enjoying their comfortable slide towards a deeper friendship; although he would like to move things along to the next level, he was willing to bide his time.

A lot had happened since they’d returned. Kathryn had resigned from Starfleet at the end of the debriefings. It had been a mutual decision between her, the Admiralty and her counsellors. Her choices had been limited within Starfleet. They’d refused to give her another command but offered her a planet-side promotion. She’d been livid at the time. The thought of sitting behind a desk as a paper-pushing bureaucrat was something she refused to contemplate. It had never occurred to her that Starfleet would refuse her another command, but they had their reasons and, as much as it grieved Chakotay to see Kathryn so upset, he could understand their thinking. She’d been on duty for seven years without a break. The unrelenting pressure, the driving intensity of the mission, the losses and the guilt associated with those things, had taken their toll. She was no fool either, and was the first to acknowledge there was a good deal of healing to be done. In the end, she’d recognised her need to step back and recoup before making any drastic decisions about her life. Chakotay was pleased for her, and thought it was an excellent choice in light of her circumstances. If he was honest with himself, though, he was pleased on a far more personal level. It meant he would see her more often. If they’d both been off world, on different Starships, the likelihood of seeing one another more than once or twice a year was remote. This arrangement, as far as he was concerned, was infinitely superior.

Although she’d officially resigned, Starfleet had kept Kathryn’s commission active in case she ever decided to return and take the promotion. However, after the initial bout of anger, she’d settled contentedly into civilian life.

Starfleet kept her close at hand as a consultant and she’d remained in the loop with the ongoing analysis of Voyager’s specs and logs. All in all, she seemed happy and reasonably at peace with her post-Voyager lifestyle.

Life for the Voyager returnees hadn’t been easy at first, but they’d eventually found a place for themselves here in the Alpha Quadrant. They still retained a certain amount of notoriety, but were left to their own devices most of the time, and each and everyone of them was thrilled to be home.

“It’s about time you got here. I’ve had a devil of a time avoiding the Doctor and his attempts to get me to rumba.” Kathryn was standing on the lawn below him with her hands on her hips and a smile on her face. She was wearing a light summery dress and she looked beautiful.

“You’re hiding?”

She laughed and shook her head. “Hardly. Just going for a stroll and wondering if you’d got lost.” He reached down and helped her up the steep step onto the stone patio. She kissed his cheek. “How was the trip?”

“Fairly ordinary. I’ve decided that most ambassadors are old women.”

“The Bajoran ambassador _is_ an old woman.”

“I know, but even the ones who aren’t old women, are ‘old women’, if you know what I mean.”

“As an _aging_ woman, I take umbrage at that.”

“You’re far from old, Kathryn, and you’d run rings around most of these so-called diplomats. I swear most of them couldn’t negotiate their way out of a paper bag.”

She chuckled. “I think you’re biased, but thanks for the compliment. It kind of makes up for the ‘old woman’ crack.”

He grinned at her. “So, how has life been treating you over the last three weeks?”

Kathryn shrugged. “Not too bad. I’ve already told you via subspace most of what’s happened, but I do have one surprise.”

“Really?”

“Uh huh.” Kathryn began walking down the patio towards a small stand of trees.

Chakotay watched the sway of her hips and the accompanying swing of her skirt as she walked. He took a deep breath and followed, catching her hand in his as he caught up to her. “So…?”

She swung around and grinned. “I’ve got a proper job.”

“Kathryn, that’s wonderful!” He pulled her into a quick hug. “I’m so pleased for you. Where? Doing what? With whom?”

“Well…, it’s not quite what I expected but I think I’m going to like it.”

He was looking at her expectantly. “And…. Is it with Starfleet?”

She shook her head. “No, it’s with a private firm but under the auspices of the Federation Council. So it’s legitimate.”

“Well, I’m glad to hear you’re not turning to a life of crime.” She laughed and gave him a light whack on the arm. They strolled further along the patio before he pressed. “Are you going to tell me, or do I have to guess?”

She gave him a look. “I’ve been asked to write a book – well, several actually – about our time in the Delta Quadrant. All of it. All our adventures, discoveries and … well everything. They’ll be used as texts for the advanced Command classes.”

He didn’t know what to say. “Are you sure that’s a good idea, Kathryn?”

“I didn’t at first. My initial reaction was to run a mile, but then I began to think about it and I decided that it was probably the best therapy I could get. By writing all of it down, I hope to get some perspective. I think it will be quite cathartic; it prompted quite a lot of soul-searching over the last few weeks while you’ve been away.”

“Oh, about what?”

She turned towards him. “All sorts of things. For a start, it’s high time I got on with my life, spread my wings, so to speak. There are things I want to do, and need to do with my life. I’ve been dragging the chain for long enough. So, what do you think?”

His answer was tentative. He had a bad feeling about this. “If you’re happy, I’m happy.”

“I thought you might say that.” She gave him a measured look. “I’ve got a few things I’d like to get your opinion on, too. They concern my personal life. I’ve been stagnating and it’s time I moved on and made some changes there, as well. I need to think about my future.”

Chakotay’s heart dropped into his boots and he tried to keep the sound of dread from his voice. Not that he was terribly successful. “Your personal life?” He’d feared this moment ever since they’d returned to Earth. The one where she’d tell him that she was ready to take on the world again and was leaving, or worse still…

“Are you all right, Chakotay? You don’t look well all of a sudden. Do you need something to drink?”

He shook his head. The last thing he needed was some of Tom’s rocket fuel. “No, I’m fine. What were you going to tell me?”

“It was more of a question actually and as my best friend, I thought I’d run it by you first.”

“Hmmm?”

Kathryn hesitated for a moment and then barrelled on. “Put very simply, I’ve decided that I want to get married, settle down …” she shrugged, “I don’t know… live happily ever after? What do you think?”

It _was_ as bad as he thought. She’d found someone and she was going to marry him and he would never see her except at official functions. His comfortable life came crashing down around his ears and his future dissolved into a haze of grey. She was watching him, waiting for his reaction. He could barely speak but ground out a, “Oh. That’s nice.”

Her eyes hadn’t left his face but she seemed oblivious to his distress. “There’s a slight catch though.”

“Oh?”

“It’s awkward. You see, I’m in love with someone and I think he’s in love with me, but there have been a few complications and I need some advice.”

Chakotay couldn’t believe it. If this wasn’t the cruellest twist of fate – a real kick in the teeth, but he was her friend, first and foremost, and if it meant that she was happy….

He steeled himself. Kathryn was about to ask him advice about her love life and all he could think was that someone up there must have a truly warped sense of humour, although it was hard to see the funny side of this right now. He swallowed again. “I’m happy to help.”

“Oh, thank you. I knew you would be. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

He was tempted to remind her that she would be finding out soon enough if she married this man she loved. Kathryn looped her arm through his and they began to walk again. “Well, I want to know what you would do in my situation. I love this man deeply, but as I said, I’m not certain if he loves me. I know he cares for me very much and would do anything for me, but that’s a little different to loving someone enough to spend the rest of your life with her. I don’t want to risk losing him, you see. If I tell him how I feel and he doesn’t feel the same way it might ruin things between us and I couldn’t bear that.”

“I understand. I have a similar dilemma myself.”

“Really? Well, maybe we can help each other.”

“Do you really love him, Kathryn?”

She nodded. “Very much. And what about you? Do you love her?”

“Yes. With all my heart.” She sighed happily and tugged his arm snugly to her side, resting her head against his shoulder. He frowned and looked down at her, reality slowly dawning. There was a glint of something in her eyes and the world suddenly tilted back on its axis. She was talking about them. Maybe he should have had that drink after all; it might have lubricated his brain… he’d been more than a little slow on the uptake, but now that they were on the same page, he was feeling much bolder. “If this man were to ask you to marry him, would you say yes?”

“In a nanosecond.” She swung around and pinned him with a look. “And if I were to ask this man if he wanted to marry me, what do you think he would say?”

“I think you’d find yourself on the way to the registry office before you could say ‘in a nanosecond’.” Chakotay was grinning broadly, looking very pleased with himself.

“So, all things being equal, you think the man I want to marry would be very happy about it?”

“Can I go out on a limb here and say that I’m certain that he would be?”

“Well, that’s a relief. That leaves only one thing to do.” She looked into Chakotay’s eyes and smiled. “And that’s to ask him.” Kathryn flicked her gaze past Chakotay’s shoulder and she called out. “Oh, George!”

Chakotay’s jaw almost hit the stone coping and he swung around so fast that he nearly fell over. _George!?_ Who the fuck was…? Kathryn’s laughter broke through his frazzled thoughts and he looked back at her to find her chuckling quietly.

“Oh God, I’m sorry, Chakotay, but I just couldn’t resist. You were looking so earnest and just a little too smug.”

“Smug? That wasn’t smug, that was a near death experience! God damn it, woman, you nearly gave me a heart attack! I’ll give you smug.” Smiling, but with a dangerous glint in his eyes, he took a step towards her.

She placed her hand on his chest. “Oh no, you don’t, but let me give you this.” The hand on his chest grasped a handful of his jacket; the other grabbed the back of his head and pulled him towards her. She pressed her lips to his. It was a closed mouth kiss, lips on lips and nothing more, but pulling away for a heartbeat, she stared at his mouth and then into his eyes before her eyes fluttered closed; tilting her head sightly, she returned to the kiss. This time she pressed a little harder and her mouth softened and opened under his, her tongue dancing along his lips, tasting and touching.

The kiss went on and on. Their mouths moulded together, sliding against one another’s as lips tugged and tongues touched gently.

He’d forgotten to breathe. His lips tingled and he began to feel light headed. It could have been from lack of oxygen, but her proximity had always had this affect on him, and kissing her only made the symptoms more acute. Sliding his mouth to her cheek and then her neck, he took a deep breath and then moved back to her mouth. His fingers tangled in her hair as he held her head between his hands, his thumbs gently sweeping across her cheeks as their lips merged again, tongues sliding along one another’s. This time it was a deeper kiss, punctuated by sighs and moans.

Chakotay had no idea how long they’d been wrapped in each other’s arms when Kathryn yanked her mouth away from his and spoke in a breathy whisper. “Will you marry me, Chakotay?”

He wrapped one arm around her shoulder and held her head against his chest as he groaned. “Spirits, yes. In a nanosecond.”

She laughed and this time he found her mouth and kissed her, lifting her off the ground.

After several sweet presses of his lips against hers, he murmured. “You were put on this earth to torment me, weren’t you?”

Kathryn nipped at his lower lip, then lapped at the spot and smiled. “Probably, but you love it and besides, I haven’t really started yet.”

Another kiss and his fingers stroked through her hair. The thumb of his other hand sweeping along her bottom lip. “I have a feeling I’m going to enjoy this sort of torment.”

Her fingers drifted over his brow and cupped his cheek as she pressed her lips firmly to his, then, pulling back a touch, she smiled. “You have no idea what you’re in for, my friend.”

With a groan, he dove at her mouth, kissing her hard, their tongues tangling and their lips sliding roughly over one another’s.

Swaying together in the orange light of the setting sun, they remained locked in a loving embrace until a noise from the party inside made them pull apart. Chakotay glanced over his shoulder and, taking Kathryn’s arm, led her into the small copse of trees until they were well away from any prying eyes. His breathing was erratic and he wanted to sweep her into his arms again and never let her go, but there were some things they needed to discuss. “All right…” he took a deep breath and grinned. “It only took seven and a half years, but I finally have you where I want you.”

Kathryn smiled and looked over her shoulder. “What, up against a tree in the Admiralty Gardens? You certainly have an interesting imagination, Chakotay. It would never have occurred to me. I’m more of a ‘turbo lift or ready room desk’ kind of gal.”

With a shake of his head, Chakotay stared at her. “The turbo lift? You thought of us in the turbo lift?”

“God, yes, didn’t you?”

He nodded slowly, still a little numb from the afternoon’s startling revelations. “And the ready room… Damn! All this time. Why didn’t you say something?”

“You knew I couldn’t. Not out there. I almost did, many times, but then something would happen and…” She shrugged. “It was for the best in the end and I don’t have any regrets. We’ve got the rest of our lives ahead of us; we’re free to make plans to our hearts’ content.”

“Ahhh, plans. I like the sound of that. Do any of these plans involve getting naked?”

“They might.”

“When?”

“Well… now if you like, but I was thinking we’d get married first. I haven’t had a lot of luck with fiancés and I’d rather not tempt fate, although there’s no _‘hard and fast’_ rule.”

“Are you teasing me or was that just a slip of the tongue?”

She huffed a laugh and licked her lips, watching his eyes darken. “Now who’s teasing? We really should get our minds out of the gutter, though.”

Chakotay tried to look innocent but it didn’t really work. “Right. First things first… marriage, then naked. When should we do it?”

Kathryn rolled her eyes and shook her head. “You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?”

Chakotay held up his hands in surrender. “Mea culpa, but that one was an honest mistake. When would you like to get married? Is that better?”

She draped herself against him, pressing her body hard into his. “As soon as we can would probably be a good idea, or the whole ‘first things first’ is going to be academic.”

“You’re on.”

Kathryn grinned. “So that’s settled then. Off to a Registry Office?”

His eyes opened wide. “Right now?”

“Have you got something else on your agenda?”

“No, but what about the party, your mother, the crew?”

“I’m not marrying them.”

“Don’t you think they’ll be a bit upset if we leave and don’t tell them?”

“By my calculations, we can beam out, get married and beam back before Harry is comatose. What do you think? Do you want to?”

“Of course I want to, but it’s a bit like… I don’t know… _extreme_ nuptials? Oh, and I nominate _you_ to tell your mother. I don’t want to have anything to do with that.”

Kathryn laughed. “Come on, let’s do it. The crew can all celebrate when we get back.”

“Okay, you’re the boss.” He tapped his combadge but didn’t take his eyes from hers. “Chakotay to Starfleet Ops.”

“Ops here, Captain.”

“Lock on my combadge and beam me, and the person standing next to me, to the San Francisco City Hall.”

“Aye, Captain.”

“Energise.”

They disappeared in a tingle of blue.

Materialising in the transporter room of the City Hall, the attendant did a double take when he saw who the new arrivals were. “Captain, Ma’am, can I direct you somewhere?”

Chakotay squeezed her hand lest she bite off the poor young man’s head. “The Registry Office, thank you.”

“Oh, um, on this level. When you leave here, turn left and it’s four doors down on your right.”

“Thank you.”

“My pleasure, Sir… and Ma’am… congratulations.”

Kathryn looked sideways at Chakotay as they left the room. “Do you want to bet that this is headline news before we’ve even filled out the paperwork?”

Chakotay stopped and began to turn around. “Do you want me to tell him not to say anything to anyone?”

Kathryn thought about it for a moment and then shook her head. “It’ll save having to tell everyone.” She grinned. “As long as we tell the crew and my mother before they hear it on the newsfeeds, then it’ll all be fine… I think.”

“You’re not filling me with confidence here, Kathryn. Are you sure you don’t want to contact your mother and have her beam over here?”

Kathryn shook her head. “No, this is just about us and I don’t want to wait another minute. Come on, let’s do it.”

He chuckled. How many times had he heard those words over the last seven years?

Happier than he’d ever been, he kissed her fingers and, hand in hand, they strolled down the corridor until they found the correct doorway. It took only a matter of minutes before they were standing before the Registrar. They’d hurriedly filled out the necessary documentation, thumb printed it for verification and were now smiling at one another as they repeated the simple yet profound words that would bind them body and soul for the rest of their lives. When pronounced husband and wife, they grinned at one another for a full minute before, with a whoop, Chakotay grabbed Kathryn, lifting her off the ground, and with his lips welded to hers, swung her around.

He couldn’t believe it. They were married. Kathryn Janeway was his wife and he wasn’t quite sure if this was a dream.

Setting her back on her feet, he and Kathryn thanked the registrar and made their way back to the transporter room. All was quiet in the hallway and Kathryn gave Chakotay a quizzical look. Perhaps their transport attendant was more discreet than they’d given him credit. However, when they got to the platform, it was a different person manning the equipment. He was equally flustered when he saw the famous pair, but appeared oblivious to the reason for their presence there.

Kathryn couldn’t help herself. “Where is the young man who was here when we arrived?”

“Joel has gone for the afternoon, Ma’am. Did you want to speak to him?”

“No, thank you.”

He nodded and smiled, then looked to Chakotay. “Address, Sir?”

“2120 Filmore.”

With a nod, the attendant entered the co-ordinates and Kathryn and Chakotay faded from view, materialising inside the restaurant, facing the doorway. It was eerily quiet and for a split second, Kathryn thought everyone had gone home, but as she and Chakotay turned around, a cheer and thunderous applause erupted from the gathered crowd. The newlyweds looked at each other with puzzled frowns.

How?

Kathryn quickly scanned the crowd; standing over to the left by the counter was the familiar but rather sheepish looking, City Hall transporter attendant. Megan Delaney dragged the hapless man with her to Kathryn’s side. “Captain and ahh… Captain… I’d like to introduce my cousin, Joel Delaney.” The young man nodded, but looked ready to bolt. Megan hung onto him and explained. “I hope you don’t mind, but he knew we were having this get together and he promised me he hasn’t told anyone else, but when he realised what you and Captain Chakotay were doing, he contacted me. I was so excited I squealed. I woke Harry up and he wanted to know what I was squealing about, so I told him and…” They all looked over towards Harry. He was standing between Celes and Ayala, wearing a goofy grin, as he swayed and blinked trying desperately to focus on the proceedings. Megan gave Kathryn and Chakotay a pathetic smile and rolled her eyes. “Well, when I told him, he whooped and everyone wanted to know what he was whooping about, so he told them … and then we all got so excited and everyone was so thrilled, oh and congratulations by the way, it’s so wonderful… anyway… you look so happy and … I’m rambling really badly, aren’t I?”

Kathryn nodded. “Rather.”

Megan looked pleadingly at Chakotay and relaxed a little as his mouth twisted into a smile.

She then turned to Kathryn and smiled, holding out her hand. “Congratulations Captain, we’re all so happy for you.”

Kathryn extended her hand to take Megan’s, but baulked and then stepped forward to pull the young woman into a quick hug. Megan hugged her back, and then pulled away, delighted, relieved and grinning madly. That seemed to be the cue for the rest of the crew and they surged forward to congratulate their command team. After a few minutes, when the furore had died down to a dull roar, Tom pressed forward. The crowd stood back, giving him room. He kissed Kathryn on the cheek and shook Chakotay’s hand, then opened his left hand, where, lying in his palm, were two gold rings. He took a deep breath. “Chakotay, Kathryn, we…” His other hand swept around the room. “…had these made several months ago, not long after we arrived home, in fact. We held great hopes that this day would eventually arrive.”

Both Kathryn and Chakotay looked astonished. Tom shrugged and smiled.

Chakotay picked up the smaller ring from Tom’s hand and studied it. There was a stylised picture of Voyager weaving a delicate pattern around the ring. It was quite beautiful. He nodded and patted Tom’s shoulder. “Thank you.”

Turning to Kathryn, Chakotay took her left hand in his. His eyes were bright with emotion as he stared deeply into hers. Lifting the ring to his lips, he kissed it and whispered as he slid it over her finger. “With all my heart, _always_.”

Kathryn couldn’t believe the raw emotion that those words evoked. She swallowed hard and picked up the other ring from Tom’s palm. He stepped out of the way and Kathryn mirrored Chakotay’s actions, bringing the ring to her lips. She kissed it and, taking his hand in hers, slid it over his finger, whispering. “Always and forever.” They stepped into each other’s arms and kissed sweetly, then turned, smiling, towards the crowd.

The applause was deafening, almost drowning out Harry’s drunken whoop.

Chakotay turned towards Kathryn. “Shall we mingle?”

“I don’t think we have much choice,” Then she stood on tiptoe and whispered in his ear. “But afterwards we’ve got a date with being naked, remember.”

Grinning and tugging her close to his side, his eyes sparkled with joy. “Oh, don’t you worry, _that_ I hadn’t forgotten.”

Kathryn’s face broke into a delighted smile that quickly turned into a grimace when a familiar voice cut through the hubbub.

“Kathryn Marie Janeway… is there something you neglected to tell me?” Gretchen Janeway’s voice boomed across the room.

Chakotay tensed and started to back away, but Kathryn grabbed his arm in a vicelike grip, whispering harshly. “Oh, no you don’t, you coward. We’re in this together… like the Musketeers… all for one and all that.” She glared at him.

Smiling at a steely eyed Gretchen over Kathryn’s shoulder, he muttered. “I don’t remember signing up for this, though. Shield me, incoming.”

Kathryn snorted. “My hero…” and turning, called cheerily. “Mother… we have some wonderful news…”

“So I hear. Did either of you have any intention of telling me? I don’t suppose it occurred to you that I might have wanted to be at my own daughter’s wedding?” She glared at both of them as she spoke.

“Well, Gretchen, I did mention…oomph.” An elbow, Kathryn’s as it turned out, connected with his solar plexus, and he wheezed. “Kathryn can explain.”

“We were in a hurry, mother. He asked me to marry him…” Frowning she turned to Chakotay… “or did I ask you first…?” Chakotay shrugged and Kathryn tried to remember, then, with a shake of her head, turned back to her mother again. “Anyway, we decided to get married and I made an executive decision, considering my history of disastrous engagements, that speed was of the essence, so we beamed to City Hall, married and got back here, all within half an hour. We were on our way to call you.”

Gretchen sized them up, and looked at Kathryn through narrowed eyes. “All right, it’s flimsy, but I’ll let you off the hook this time. However, you’re not to do it again.”

Kathryn looked up at Chakotay. “Oh, I don’t ever plan on doing it again. You can trust me on that.”

Gretchen frowned, then realised what she’d said, and with a shake of her head, stepped forward and pulled Kathryn into a warm hug, whispering in her ear. “Well-done sweetheart, he’s a find, but don’t tell him I said so.”

Kathryn grinned at her mother and whispered back. “Your secret is safe with me.”

Gretchen frowned again and turning towards Chakotay, looked him up and down. “Well then, young man, I hope you haven’t bitten off more than you can chew. She’s a Janeway and we’re not to be trifled with. You’re part of the family now, and that entails certain responsibilities.” She gave him one last piercing glare; one that he met with a steady look of his own. After several heartbeats, she nodded. “Hmmph, you’ll do.”

Gretchen reached up and kissed his cheek, pulling Chakotay into a quick hug. However, before she could pull away, he wrapped his arms around the small woman and whispered in her ear. “Thank you, Gretchen. I love you too.”

Gretchen stepped back and glared, but the ghost of a smile trembled on her lips, tempering the steely look. Her eyes darted to Kathryn’s and she raised a brow. “He’ll do very nicely and it’s about time you nabbed him.” After giving a contented sigh, she shooed them away. “Off you go and enjoy your party.”

Kathryn smiled at her mother. “Thank you, Mom.” Leaning forward she kissed her cheek. “I love you.”

Chakotay took Kathryn’s hand and tucked it protectively into the crook of his arm, and together they wandered into the happy crowd of Voyager family.

Tony, the proprietor, was blustering through, holding aloft a large tray of champagne as people plucked the glasses off the tray, one by one, until the last two glasses were handed to Kathryn and Chakotay.

Tom stepped up onto a chair in the middle of the room and called them all to order. “Ladies and gentlemen… and Harry.” There was a snicker from the crowd. “Today is _the_ day. The one we’ve waited for and worked towards for so many years. I can’t tell you what a relief it is. Oh, and just by the way, had we still been in the Delta Quadrant, Crewman Yosa?…” Tom scanned the crowd and a hand waved from the far end of the room. “…Crewman Yosa, you would be wading knee deep in rations right about now. But thanks to the Captain, we are home and able to gather here to celebrate this momentous occasion of…” He turned to his right and looked at his inebriated best friend. “…Harry getting stonkered… oh, and Kathryn and Chakotay’s marriage. Can everyone, except Harry, raise your glass and drink a toast to the happy couple? Kathryn, Chakotay. May the strength of three be in your journey. Slainte.”

There was a chorus of “Slainte.” from the crowd, and Kathryn looked at Tom and smiled.

The toast seemed very fitting, considering the circumstances of their arrival back on Earth, and Kathryn decided that it had been intentional on Tom’s part and an appropriate homage to the woman who was responsible for their return. The Admiral Janeway from the other timeline would never come into being, but she _had_ existed and played an integral part in their futures by forfeiting hers. It was comforting to think of her as part of their lives; it made her loss a little easier to bear.

An hour later, B’Elanna approached the newlyweds and ushered them to the front of the restaurant. “There’s a hovercab waiting outside. You’ve shown extraordinary restraint, but you’ve well and truly done your duty. Get yourselves home and to bed. _Please_. You need to consummate this relationship, and soon, or we’re all going to burst.”

Kathryn stared at her friend and after a quick glance at Chakotay’s rapidly flushing face, she burst out laughing. “Thank you, B’Elanna. You’re a wonder and don’t ever change.”

“No chance of that, I’m afraid.” B’Elanna kissed them both on the cheek and all but shoved them out the door.

They climbed into the cab and Chakotay gave his address to the driver. Kathryn was pleased that they would be spending their first night together at his house. It was right somehow. She snuggled into his side, her head resting on his shoulder. It seemed so natural and she smiled as he turned and kissed the top of her head.

It wasn’t long before they pulled up outside his house. Chakotay tried to pay the driver but he refused, apparently, it had been ‘taken care of’…. The crew had certainly been thorough.

The couple stood on the footpath in front of the house for a long moment. Kathryn turned to her husband and soon to be lover. “Shall we?”

Chakotay nodded and with a smile, hoisted Kathryn up into his arms to carry her across the threshold. He pressed a quick kiss to her lips and pushed open the door. With a deep breath, he stepped through the doorway, and then looked down at Kathryn. “Let’s do it.”

The door closed on her throaty laugh…

_fin_

**Author's Note:**

> Request: Anyways, I would like a story, a fluffy J/C story, where they’re happy and happilly doing things (doesn’t have to be naughty things) and it’s sunny and there’s much happiness… Maybe a party on a planet… With KJ in a skirt.


End file.
